The Dog Princess: A Tom Holland Fairy Tale

Class

"Hello, Rosemary." The world instantly began turning again as the words gingerly escaped his lips, and she couldn't hide how pleased she was to see him wearing the clothes she had gifted him. Rosemary could tell how afraid he was to address her in public, but she would never know how much his heart was still pounding, banging hard on the walls of his chest like he had been running laps around the palace.

"Hello, again." She smiled brightly, causing his heart to almost stop. "You received my gifts?"

Tom smoothed out his shirt, flashing her a proud smile. He felt more confidence in his appearance for once. "Fits like a glove. I don't know how you did it."

"That's my secret." She grinned back, biting her lip. He looked good before, but the simple change made all the difference.

"Thank you." He said earnestly, his eyes flicking from her eyes to her lips in awe. After a second he snapped out of it, putting the empty tray under his arm. "Well I should...get back to work."

"And leave me to mingle with all these boring guests?" She teased, cutely scrunching her nose with a playful smile.

"I'm sure the prince is looking for you." Tom replied as he turned to go, completely dejected but trying his best to hide it.

"One dance won't hurt." She said, causing him to stop in his tracks.

He pivoted back around, a stupefied look on his face. "Me? A dance—"

"Why not?" She held out her hand across the table, but he shook his head.

"Rosemary I can't, I wasn't invited—"

"Yes you are, I invited you just now—"

"You don't understand, I couldn't possibly go out there—"

"You don't have to. Here, come this way." She shoved the lemon tart in her mouth whole and took his hand from across the table. He put the tray back on the table and followed her, still unsure. He was so shocked and amused by her behavior, but there was no denying that he absolutely loved it. He got a bit of a rush as she led him out into the hall, which was dimly lit compared to the brightness of the ballroom, but tucked away nicely from too much attention. They could still hear the waltz melody playing, but there was much less noise from the party itself. The sun had already set and the soft glow of twilight seeped through the windows, falling beautifully on their faces. She took his other trembling hand and properly placed it on her waist, a position he never dreamed of being in. Rosemary, with her hand still placed over his, listened to the music for a moment. "Do you know this one?"

"Do I know this one?" He laughed, still incredibly tense at the thought of getting caught, but also over the moon he was with her at all. "I have never danced in my life."

"Never? No wonder you're afraid of the dance floor."

"Of course...that would be the reason." He said under his breath jokingly as she gently began to lead him in a basic waltz step.

"When you step forward, I step backward, see?"
She pulled him a bit forward, and he stumbled into her slightly. Their eyes locked and their noses grazed each other before Tom pulled away, embarrassed.

"I'm so sorry. I'm not sure I was made for this. I must be the worst partner you've ever had." He said laughing nervously as he stepped back, feeling even more unworthy than he did before, if that were even possible.

"I wouldn't say that." She said warmly while gently taking his hand again, this time lacing her fingers with his. She was leaning closer to him than she knew she should, but she couldn't help herself. They were drawn to each other, like a string connected his heart to hers. He gave in and put his other hand back around her, mesmerized by her touch and amazed at how she was looking at him. He was in deep denial, and he kept dismissing every look, every sign, and every feeling. This could never be happening, especially not to him, and yet he couldn't help but feel his feet firmly on the ground. He really was where he was standing, and it was all real. He took a small step, and then another, impressed with himself for not looking at his feet. How could he? He couldn't look away from her; he couldn't get enough. He threw caution to the wind and got lost in her eyes, and once again the world around them began to fade as they glided across the floor.